Mark Perez, Gun Trafficking, Nevada 2024

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Table of Contents

Gun Trafficking Ring Busted in Los Angeles

A federal indictment alleges that a Nevada man and three others used Instagram to sell over 60 firearms, including ‘ghost guns’ and machine gun conversion devices known as ‘Glock switches.’

Mark Perez, 22, of Henderson, Nevada, pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. An August 6 trial date has been scheduled in this case. Perez is free on $10,000 bond.

Perez is charged along with Ivan Quintos, 27, of Azusa, and Salvador Lopez, 24, of Whittier, and Zachary Dry, 23, of Henderson, Nevada, with one count of conspiracy and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. Perez also faces additional charges related to his alleged possession of firearms and ammunition.

According to the 11-count indictment, from July 2023 to May 2024, Perez and the other defendants used Instagram to coordinate and sell the firearms. Some of the defendants used Instagram direct messages and public posts to sell the firearms, which included ‘ghost guns’ and ‘Glock switches’ as well as firearms with obliterated serial numbers and firearms that had been stolen.

The indictment alleges that Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his 2021 misdemeanor conviction in Nevada for domestic violence, and that Dry is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions for assault and battery in Nevada in 2023.

If convicted, Perez faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in federal prison, Quintos faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison, Lopez faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, and Dry faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin Park Police Department, and Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney William M. Larsen of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.